Don't Wait Please
by queenofapology
Summary: Mary Magdalene will always need to be saved. Mary of Bethany is here to help this time. Sequel to 'Shock Me' Daryl/OC
1. Chapter One

"Twins?" Glenn looked as if somebody had told him that he was the father of Lori's baby.

"It appears to be that way," the doppelganger slowly blinked at him with a condescending smile.

The group was huddled by the fire, hanging off of every word that the Louie-look-alike said.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Rick asked angered that she had led them to believe she was Louie.

"Listen, Officer Texas, it's not my fault that the first bunch of people that I've yet to come across _in probably weeks_ decides to welcome me. Don't blame me for being a little greedy," she smirked.

"God, you're just like her," Lori breathed, looking at the girl in horror. She moved her gaze from Rick to Lori lazily.

"Twins," she reminded with a toothy grin.

"How'd you find us," Rick demanded. The girl's humor was wiped off her face.

"Dumb luck," she said seriously.

"Why don't I believe you," he asked leaning forward.

"Because you shouldn't," she snapped. "But you have to. Because you don't have anybody to tell you otherwise." Rick stared her down solidly before rubbing his face tiredly.

"Look. I'll tell you everything. But I want answers in return," her eyebrows were furrowed and she had a demure look that was similar to her sister's. Rick nodded after a moment.

"My name is Martha," she started lowering her eyes onto the fire. "Mary Louise and I are identical twins. Our parents joked that we were inseparable twins. Long story short, we were born and raised in North Dakota. Then she ran away from home when we were eighteen. She didn't tell anybody where she was going. Not even me. She would call me from payphones and tell me about all the things she saw and what she was doing. But then… the calls were fewer. Then they stopped," she swallowed the emotions that were rising. "I found out she was in Michigan after she caused a big fuss with that guy. A friend of mine went to New York and was into that art stuff and stopped in Detroit to see that wall painting thing. My friend told me when she got back and I knew Mary was there. When people started getting infected, my family-" she paused. "I was the only one who survived. I had to see if Mary was out there. She was my last hope. I went to Michigan. Found out she was vacationing in Florida. So I headed south and got to Tennessee where some people saw her last but didn't know where she was. I'm on my way south still."

Rick knew that the people in Tennessee were the people that had sold her to the men who raped her for weeks on end. He fought the urge to take the group north just to find that same group and slaughter them all.

"Now you answer mine," her voice became hardened and serious. "Where's my sister."

"We're all Atlanta survivors," Rick started slowly wondering how to skirt around the touchy areas.

"Just tell her," Daryl cut. "She should know."

"Tell me what," Martha frowned. Rick licked his lips and thought of how to explain the situation. "Tell me what," she demanded again.

"Louie was… _bartered_ by the Tennessee group to a couple of men," Rick breathed slowly.

"What," Daryl stood up not believing his ears. He never bothered to ask the girl how she managed to end up with the beasts, but just assumed she was kidnapped. "Did she tell you that?" Daryl barked at Rick. Rick ashamedly met Daryl's glare and nodded. Daryl sucked his lips in and felt like punching something. Someone. _Anything_. He let out a growl and grabbed his head in frustration.

"No," Martha's voice was faint and her eyes began to swim with tears.

"She…" Rick started again. This time he didn't bother to continue with the details. "Daryl found her and brought her back to camp. She'd been with us since," Rick said. "We found Hershel and his family on their farm not too long ago. We just escaped last night. Hundreds of 'em. Swarming," Rick lowered his voice. Relaying the events was too painful. "We lost some of our own."

Martha had put hung her head in her hands and tried to make sense of all the information she was told. Her sister had been … sold? And none other by the friendly group that had given her information. She was repulsed, disgusted and remorseful that they had gotten off so easy. She understood why the group looked so ashen when they had seen her. As if they had seen a ghost.

"I'm sorry," she managed to say. "About the others." Rick nodded thankfully.

"I'm surprised you made it by yourself this far," T-Dog finally spoke up. She gave a heavy sigh, pushing the morose thoughts aside and grinned.

"I haven't been always by myself. I'm not that stupid. Safety in numbers. But I guess I wasn't as stupid as Mary to stay long enough," she said almost disgustedly.

"She wasn't stupid," Glenn snapped back. "Nothing could have prepared her for that." Martha raised her eyebrows and smirked.

"Anyways," she tore her eyes away from the emotional Asian boy and turned to Rick. "Am I to assume that she'll be around these woods?"

"I can't say," Rick said solemnly.

"It'd be pointless to search. She'll be in Michigan anyways," Daryl spoke up finding himself angrily composed.

"And you know this, how?" Martha tilted her head.

"I just do," was all he said. She stared at him silently for a moment.

"Ah," she quipped looking down thoughtfully and then back at Rick. "Then I'll be out of your hair by daylight."

"Maybe," Rick said hesitantly.

"I hope that isn't a threat," she said with a cheery tone but conveyed seriousness.

"It isn't. But we were about to cast a vote. Michigan or not," Rick looked back at the group, specifically his wife. She had not been happy with him especially since his admittance to the murder of his best friend. But he still valued her opinion above all.

"I'm in," Glenn immediately said. Maggie tensed beside him and looked to her father. Hershel gave her a stern glare that bid her to stay silent.

"I think going North would be a start," Carol spoke up timidly.

"I still say we move east," T-Dog said dismally. "But seein' what's up north could be good."

"What do you think Rick?" Hershel's deep voice boomed. Rick looked analytically at the fire.

"I say going towards the cold could be smart. Walkers won't move well in the winter," he said after a moment.

"We won't have the supplies for it. We're not prepared," Lori spoke up, cradling her son in her lap who had fallen asleep.

"Supplies comes on the way," Martha added. "But you can never _really_ be prepared."

"I'm pregnant," Lori bit sourly.

"That could be a problem," Martha mused and scratched her chin complaisantly.

* * *

"We stay local."

"No, we go North."

"Local."

"North."

"Local."

"North!"

"Bitch this ain't a democracy. It's my way or the highway, chickadee," Merle Dixon snapped.

"Fine. Then I'll go," Louie said standing up decidedly. Merle looked down, sighed and held up his one hand to stop her her, his stub resting on his knee.

"What the _fuck_ is North that is so importan' fer you to go?" he asked grudgingly.

"Daryl knows more about me than I him. I figured that's the one place he'd check for me. So I go there."

"Why not just look for 'em here?" Merle asked nicely. He didn't want to upset the girl and she knew that she had him in the palm of her hand. He hadn't had real human contact in over a few months so he was fearful to be by himself again- well, not _entirely _by himself. But she didn't doubt his strength either. With one hand, Merle could be even more merciless.

"I'm not leading you to him Merle," Louie said firmly. His good demeanor faltered.

"I don't know what yer talkin' 'bout," he said dangerously.

"I know you want revenge on Rick and the others for leaving you in Atlanta, but it wasn't their fault," she pressed.

"The hell it isn't!" he roared, his temper exploding, his face turning red and veins in his neck popping. "I ain't got a fucking hand!"

"Merle?" a small voice came from the makeshift tent. A head of a little Asian girl popped out.

"It's nothin'," Merle lowered his voice. "Go back to sleep," he ordered sternly and the little girl complied.

Merle Dixon along his travels for revenge stumbled upon a ten year old girl hiding in a warehouse up in the highest shelves surviving off of canned juice and moldy bread. He abandoned her there but she followed instead, fearful of being by herself again. And when she almost perished at the hands of a stray walker, Merle had come to her rescue and the pair had been together since. It was a miracle that Merle hadn't killed her himself, her being Asian and all. But being a little girl, Merle looked past that and let her stay. That doesn't mean he didn't berate her and yield from his nasty nature at all. It just mean that she could stay.

Louie also leveled her breathing, trying to compose herself as well.

"They _went back for you_, Merle," she hissed. "Rick personally went back. Daryl went with him and so did T-Dog and Glenn. They looked for you everywhere and almost stayed. _Daryl _was the one to give up on you. He didn't think you wanted to come back."

Merle clenched his jaw and stared at her with indefinable rage.

"Don't do this, Merle. It's not worth it," she whispered.

"Do ya' know," Merle said looking at his stub, "what it's like to saw through yer own goddamn hand? Through the flesh and the blood and the meat and the _bone_? The pain? The smell of burnt skin when I cauterized my own stump? I sure think it's worth it," he said lowly.

"I won't be there to see you satisfied then," Louie said defiantly. "I'll leave Merle. I'll do it."

"You ain't goin' anywhere," he muttered.

"Don't put revenge before your brother," she said before retreating into the tent.

* * *

**Sequel. Like I said. Comment. Or don't. **

**But really. You should.**


	2. Chapter Two

"Why does Merle keep touching your butt?" Mia, the small Asian guest that Merle had strung along asked Louie one day.

"Because he's extremely jealous and wants one just like mine. But stealing isn't nice, you've got to always remember that," Louie grinned at her as the trio walked down the deserted road to find a safe rest place with supplies. The older woman would be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed to find out that the fire she saw burning from the top of the tree was Merle's, but didn't complain to find someone familiar.

"How do you know him?" she asked, wincing to keep the strap of the heavy backpack on her shoulder.

"She's my sister-in-law," Merle was the one to smirk this time. "Unfortunately, the lil' runt got to her 'fore I did. Otherwise she'd be _my_ wife,"

"I'm not," Louie rolled her eyes before smiling down at Mia. "I'm just like you. I was found by a Dixon boy."

* * *

Daryl Dixon was keeping watch the previous night, making sure to lower the flames when everyone slept so that he could see what lurked in the shadows easily. And when dawn approached, he kindled the fire so that the campsite would be slightly warmer. He remembered how he taught Louie to start a fire when she first arrived to camp. She was silent as a mouse and did everything that he told her to, exactly as he wanted. She was a quick sat tiredly, back against a log, when he poked the tinder enough to spark a higher flame. The sound of a shuffling tent caught his ears and he waited for Rick to approach him to talk about fool-proofing their travel plans.

Unexpectedly, Louie sat down opposite of him, her visage only visible through the flames.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," she said with an eerie smile. He looked away.

"No. Just a twin," he mumbled.

* * *

"We gon' make this a clean one, alright?" Merle whispered to the girls. "Y'all best not git in my way."

A gas station, littered with abandoned cars sat invitingly silent before them. No doubt a walker or two was nearby, especially with the stench that was wafting through the air. When they had first traveled together, Merle tricked Mia into placing a red handkerchief around her mouth to make her look like a bandit but in reality it was for sanitation reasons and to keep her whimpers muffled; she still did it now. Louie was to stay with the little girl while Merle would scope out the surroundings. Once he would clear the gas station, the females could safely enter and they would camp out there for the night. After ten solid minutes, a sharp whistle rang through the air: the signal.

"Go," Louie whispered and Mia ran forward into the darkness of the gas station while Louie secured the perimeter once again. She helped Merle place empty metal cans and containers full of wrenches and tools that would rattle, around the boundary to alarm them of any unwanted visitors. They were losing daylight, so they didn't have time for anything fancy or hi-tech.

"Look! Band-aids!" Mia cried happily holding up a box of bandages with both arms victoriously when they entered the haven.

"Nice one," Merle said off-handedly before eyeing all the lukewarm drinks in the broken refrigerator for anything _stronger_ than a Pepsi. To his disappointment, the three were seated in the staff lounge with a can of beans each and a bottle of water. Mia had snatched some frosted flakes for herself as a treat.

"I can't believe you never found us. You were literally in our backyard," Louie said dazedly at Merle. He was hunched over his dinner with a crease in his forehead.

"Knew I was close," he muttered. Louie mentally mourned for the fact that Mia could have found sanctuary with the Atlanta group if they had come to found them. But selfishly was thankful that they didn't, for Merle would mess up their chances of staying at the farm. It didn't matter now anyways.

"Doesn't matter, I guess," Louie looked down. "We have a new goal."

"What?" Mia asked, her mouthful of beans.

"Have you ever been to Michigan?" Louie grinned.

"Where's that?" She asked with a frown.

"No where. We ain't goin'," Merle barked.

"Then where would you have us go?" Louie retorted.

"We stick to the plan."

"Which was?"

"We find the police man."

"Where do we find them?"

"We look!" he yelled. Louie matched his glare heatedly.

"You rather have us run around blindly rather than go to a specific place?" she asked incredulously.

"And why is it we'd go ta' Michigan?" Merle mocked.

"Daryl will be there," she replied confidently.

"Why would he be there?"

"Because it's my home."

"And your family?"

Louie frowned. "I don't have a family."

"What about that group yer from? The one you were with before them rapists?" Merle drawled.

"I don't have a family," she repeated.

"So there's absolutely _nothing_ in Michigan, aside from my little brother, that you'd wanna find?"

"The world is dead Merle. I'm sure Detroit is no exception. So, no."

"You sure, you 'n him ain't-"

"Yes."

"How about you 'n me then-"

"No."

* * *

"So why are _you_ looking for my sister?" Martha asked holding the blanket around her tighter. Daryl didn't reply but instead prodded the fire some more, releasing a few sparks in the air.

"I see," she smiled and looked down contemplatively. "How long have you two been together?" No response. "Did she just _fall _into your arms when you rescued her? Or did she make you work for it?"

"You don't know what yer talkin' about," his deep voice resounded never letting his eyes stray from the fire for secret fear that he'd see her ghostly face accusing.

"Don't I? She and I were one embryo at one point, if I remember. We were one person before we were humans. I think I can distinguish the relationships she would have with people," she joked. Her voice was deeper than Louie's; barely. Listening to her wasn't as painful as looking at her. He didn't reply again. He didn't care to make any bond or friendship with anyone even if it was Louie's identical twin sister.

"I would've thought she was with that dreamy Rick Grimes," she chuckled. "Mary did always like to hang out around the police station back in Dakota." Seeing as she wasn't getting a reaction out of the hick, Martha decided to keep going. "Then I thought the Asian was into her the way he was about to cry, but that little country doll was clinging to him like saran wrap, so that rules him out. The black dude didn't even want to go to Michigan so that was settled-"

"Guys in the camp. So she gotta be with one of us?" he snapped, finally lifting his head to look at her with annoyance. She tilted her head up in victory before she feigned disinterest.

"Or girls. Whatever. She wasn't the picky one," Martha shrugged. Daryl's lip curled before he stood up. The girl almost thought she had struck a nerve until she saw Rick was approaching them.

"What's the plan?" Rick asked buckling his belt. He caught the sight of Martha's back huddled by the fire. He jerked his head to her. "Say anythin'?"

"Nothin' useful," Daryl muttered. Rick only motioned for them to talk in private. Martha hid her smile.

"What'd she say?" Daryl asked as they walked down the road, away from camp. He knew that the only person to really convince to go to Michigan was Lori, since she had a baby on the way.

"She's on board," Rick said with astonishment, not really believing it himself. "She figures that we gotta head in a direction anyways, it might as well be Detroit. 'N like you said, if we find a solid place, a _good, safe_ place on the way, then even better. But we ain't got any place to go other than that." Daryl nodded and stopped when they were a few yards away.

"I know you don't agree with the idea of settlin' down but I think we can agree that findin' Louie is important. And at least now you'll have backup if we don't all pull through to the end," Rick hinted.

"I don't trust her," Daryl bit his lip.

"Like a…a _Jenner_ trust? Or a Shane trust?" Rick shifted his weight to lean towards the burly man. Daryl only narrowed his eyes at the campsite.

"Does it matter?"

* * *

Louie took the main watch, giving Merle most of the time to sleep. When it was just him and Mia, they slept throughout the day and traveled by night. Though they risked more active walkers and time, they were able to move faster and swifter in the cool night. Now that Louie was added to the gang, they could start moving in daylight again. She sat on top of the biggest SUV out front and fiddled with a machete Merle gave her. The first few hours, she was alert and ready to seize any walker or thing that was creeping around. Now, she was bored and had nothing to occupy her mind but the thoughts of Daryl and the rest of the group.

What was he doing? Was he with the rest of the group? Would he even come looking for her? Her thoughts started to turn negative as she sat in the cold night.

The breeze picked her hair up and caressed her cheek. Her eyes slowly rolled back and her lashes fell down as she half imagined it Daryl's breathing on her jaw. She imagined his sharp, prickly stubble dragging against her soft puckered lips. Exhaling, she opened her eyes and almost swore she would see his blue gaze, but instead was met with the stars.

"You ain't much," he whispered to her one dawn when they both were awake; she lay on top of him, chin resting on her folded hands on top of his chest. He would smooth back her hair before he would say intimate things to her. A tear leaked from the corner of Louie's eyes as she stared at the sky.

"But we're alright."

* * *

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	3. Chapter Three

Glenn, Daryl, Rick and T-Dog were huddled around a map they had picked from a littered ground of a rest stop for truckers. They were holding their chins in their hands or arms folded across their chest thinking of the best route to take in terse silence.

"I still say take I-75," Glenn broke the intensity by pointing to a little bold number.

"It's a main highway dipshit," Daryl groaned for what seemed like the hundredth time. "It'll be blocked fer miles! We won't git anywhere on there. We gotta go 'round and take the 441 North."

"It'll take more gas to go around," Rick added dismally. "We don't know if we'll find any. Going on foot with this many people is too dangerous if it comes to that."

Daryl sighed and scratched his cheek. "I guess. But if we cut through the forest on that border then we'll cut our time in half."

"Risk," Rick muttered again.

"I-75's a mistake," Daryl started gnawing on his bottom lip. The last time they traveled by major highway, they lost a little girl. He suddenly felt a presence beside him. He looked down to see Martha trying to peer at the map.

"I-77," she said pointing to a different highway. "Plus it's closer to the coast," she said pointedly to T-Dog who in turn gave a toothy smirk.

"I like this one." Daryl shot him a look. "But two's better than one," he quickly corrected himself.

* * *

Merle, Mia and Louie were trudging through the cold Georgia air, the two girls ready to lie down and accept their frigid death. Though moving constantly kept them warmer, the days without food accounted for lack of strength.

"'Nother reason why women will never be President," Merle ticked off his list of why females were inferior to males.

"Ignore the fact that there is no government," Louie said sarcastically.

"Merle, I'm tired," Mia whined.

"Stupid kid," he muttered before accepting her backpack from her tiny hands. Louie bent down and allowed the ten-year old to hook her small arms around her neck so that she would ride on the older woman's back. Merle gave Louie a side-ways glance and nodded at her discreetly.

The three trekked down another dirt road that looked similar to all the roads they had taken for a few days. Louie had no idea where they were going, except for it wasn't Michigan. But she had to trust Merle. He saved her life before. She owed him her allegiance. But when they got to the end of the road, the dirt started to disappear and asphalt started to form along with painted lines.

"Merle," Louie said dangerously. He didn't respond. "Merle, I don't think this is a good idea," her voice was unsure as a still intact, brightly painted blue and white sign read, _WELCOME TO ELLENWOOD._

"Suburbs are littered with walkers Merle," Louie hissed, gripping onto Mia's arms a little tighter now that she had fallen asleep.

"We need food," was all he replied. Louie's heartbeat started to quicken as little manicured lawns left unattended and sporting long weeds were appearing. They passed through the quaint main street which was deserted and showed no signs of terror asides from the eerie silence. The entire town seemed to be still intact and as if its people had just stood up and walked away from their lives: no vandalism, no mess. It didn't seem right. Where were all the walkers? Merle led them down a road called _Oak St_.; generic and held two story homes that were identical to one another. They were all painted white and most of them had the US flags waving in the front and quirky painted mailboxes.

"This one," Merle said nodding to a house that was snugly in the middle. It was discreet and unrecognizable from the others. Louie waited on the porch nervously as Merle scoped out the inside. He poked his head out the door and whispered that it would be clear. Even he was hesitant to raise his voice amidst the silent neighborhood.

If there was any chaos in Ellenwood, it would be discovered inside the homes. This one revealed drawers were thrown open, furniture moved out of place and skid marks on the polished wooden floors. One could easily tell that there was a hurry to leave or escape.

"Any bodies?" Louie murmured. Merle shook his head as they stood in the foyer.

"C'mere," he said holding his palm out. He took the little girl off Louie's back and in his arms, almost cradling her, he moved out of the room. Louie heard his steps retreat upwards and figured he was going to put her in a bed; where little girls belonged. Louie made herself busy and dug through the cupboards to find sheets. She hung them on the curtain rods and doubled them to block any sunlight in the room. She placed the lighter arm chairs she could lift in front of the doors. When she tried to move the larger sofas, she found that they wouldn't budge.

"Fuckin' move," she groaned and suddenly found the sofas obeying her command as they glided with ease. She half-shocked saw Merle helping her adjust the sofas against the front doors. "She still asleep?" she asked and he nodded.

"D'you see what they got?" he asked and she shook her head. They both went into the kitchen to see more chaos. Dirt and dust uncharacteristically coated the seemingly perfect kitchen. It's marble counter tops looking ancient under the film of dust and the stainless steel stove buried under cobwebs.

"Jesus!" Merle cried and instantly slammed the fridge shut. A waft of rotten food reached Louie a few seconds later and she gagged. "Worth a shot," Merle's muffled reasoning came through, when he buried his face in the crook of his arm so that he tried not to breath in the toxic fume of rotting food. Louie opened a pantry and she let out a gasp and flew back a few steps. Merle quickly strode forward to protect them but only recoiled in similar shock.

"Hallelujah," he sang.

A full pantry.

* * *

"Enough about the forest, man. Give it a rest," Martha groaned and Daryl nearly snapped her neck in half. The only reason he didn't was because she looked like Louie.

"The fuck d'you know anyways," he muttered.

"I know that you probably haven't had sex in a while," she snipped as if she were stating the name of her favorite book. Daryl gave her a disgusted look before returning to skinning branches to make arrows. "Neither have I," she shrugged. "We're all stressed. Just don't let it get to you. Masturbation is the key-"

"What're you doin' here?" he barked at her.

"Keeping you company," she said stretching her arms out and keeping a trained eye on him. He didn't budge. She pouted. "So how old are you?" Daryl bit his tongue from trying not to hit her.

"I guess we have a thing for older guys," she smirked. "Do you know how old _we_ are?"

Daryl stood up. "Get one thing straight. There ain't ever gonna be _you_. Just her," he spat.

* * *

The next few days seemed perfect. Merle would leave in the morning and steal food from the other houses when they exhausted the house they were squatting in. Even when they'd have "feasts" for every meal, Merle kept a small truck in the garage prepped if they ever had to leave. They took sheets, mattresses, pillows and anything else that would fit in the bed of the truck.

"This is fun!" Mia sighed after a well indulged meal. She patted her small belly and closed her eyes contentedly. As if she could die happy. Louie was disturbed how adult she was starting to appear in this light.

"Sleep alrigh'?" Merle's gruff voice asked her, uncharacteristically. Her eyes snapped open and she nodded enthusiastically.

"I like beds! I love sleeping!" She laughed. Though Louie laughed as well, Merle didn't smile, but kept his head down in his food. After dinner, Louie read to Mia at the table as they acquired a new tradition and the little girl listened to the stories of _Sherlock Holmes_ with her eyes half open until she couldn't keep them open any longer.

"They're so polite," Mia murmured about the protagonist's etiquette and good manners. "I wish everyone was that nice." Merle snorted.

"I think it's time for bed," Louie smiled. Mia's eyes opened fully this time and she moved around the table to wrap her arms around the woman's neck. She gave Merle a confused but pleasant expression while she hugged her back. Then she went to Merle and wrapped herself around Merle, lingering and resting her tiny head on his shoulder. Louie watched as the man was unmoving and unrelenting, until he lowered his head and pressed a kiss on her shoulder before scooting her along. Louie solemnly observed the exchange without word wondering where it had come from. Once Mia had left upstairs, Louie had graduated herself to her own bedroom where Merle insisted on sleeping on the floor.

She would think of Daryl and how they would fight each other on who slept on the floor and who would sleep in the cot; in the end Louie would win every time. But by morning, she'd end up on the ground, cuddling up to him like a kitten. She thought about how he grumbled at her about being annoying while his lips were pressed to hers. The way he complained _about_ her _to_ her was sexy in a way to Louie. She liked being his nuisance; being able to push his buttons and get away with it.

Staring at the ceiling with a smile, a piercing scream filled the house and Louie bolted up immediately. She thought in horror what was happening to Mia. She fled her room immediately and was utterly shocked to see a few walkers pressing against the windows in the kitchen just above the sink. After shrieking at the sight, Louie moved to the staircase where Merle was already bounding upwards urging her to quickly follow. They reached the top where Mia was nowhere to be seen.

"Girl!" Merle barked and the small child crawled out from under the bed.

"They're… they're everywhere!" she shrieked pointing to the window. Louie heart-wrenchingly checked outside the curtains, and to her horror, they _were_ everywhere. The entire street seemed to be littered with walkers.

"How!" Louie yelled, pulling at her hair. This was their end. They were going to die in this God-forsaken town with no name or identity. Merle only showed anger as his jaw was clenched and his temple had a protruding vein.

"C'mon," he finally gritted out and opened the window with his good hand.

"What!" Louie shrieked and shrunk back in terror.

"We climb," he yelled and pointed out the window. The sound of glass breaking could be heard from downstairs as well as the groans and moans of the undead. Louie nodded hesitantly not sure of what they would do when they reached the top but just wanted sanctuary.

"Go first, I'll hand you the kid," he barked and Louie nodded hesitantly. She carefully poised herself out the window, subconsciously reminded of her rebellious teen nights of sneaking out the house. She briefly saw from her position a sole walker making its way up the stairs down the hallway, just as she grabbed the roof's ledge. Merle slammed into the window causing the frame to shake and Louie found her grip loosening and felt herself falling. Shrieking, she grabbed onto the window sill and hung under the window with a faltering grip. She looked down and screamed at the sight of walkers underneath her, bloodied hands to the sky, ready to devour her. A massive sea of predators waiting for her.

"Merle!" she screamed. Merle quickly thrust his single hand out the window and used his stub to anchor himself on the sill.

"Grab!" he bellowed. Louie hesitantly motioned to move one hand but her upper body strength wasn't enough to keep her up with that sole hand.

"I can't!" she cried and messily found both hands back on the sill, unwilling to let go.

"Merle!" Mia's small voice could be heard in the room and the sound of scuffling. Merle turned around and to his horror he was faced with two choices.

"Get her!" Louie screamed. She wouldn't have him pick her over a little girl. "Go Merle!" she screamed her voice dry. There was a shuffling of feet and Louie squeezed her eyes shut willing herself to die before she would reach the grip of the undead. The undeniable scream of a little girl wailing erupted and a raindrop hit Louie's forehead.

She opened her eyes and saw Merle hanging out the window, an open palm towards her. A few tears dripping from the inner corner of his eye and traveling down his nose and falling on her face; his face remained stony and hardened, as if the sounds of a little girl being torn to shreds right behind him wasn't happening. Louie stared in horror at the man who was with a locked jaw pulled her weight up with one arm. She finally came to her senses and in a dream-like state, pulled herself through the frame and collapsed on the floor. Merle, grabbed her upper arm and pulled her up to lean against his body as she was too feeble to stand.

"Don't look," he muttered as they passed the walker huddled in the corner of the room with his new food. They quickly walked down the stairs to see the other walkers trying to push through the jagged glass hole where the initial zombie had managed to get through. However their blockade caused them to get stuck and unable to move but the pressure was starting to break the glass even more. Merle only dragged the dumb-struck Louie to the garage where they sat in the packed truck silently for a moment. They stared at the space in front of them numbly, the sounds of walkers groaning right outside the garage gate. Merle finally broke the buzzing silence.

"My lil' brother comes first," his voice came out as if he mouth was full of marbles. "We go through Chattahoochee forest."

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